The city of Redondo Beach is continuing its annual practice of approving free holiday street parking in Riviera Village, but some business owners are concerned the spots may not be available to shoppers.

The culprits: employees who take advantage of storefront parking for a short jaunt to work, and others who stay in spots for prolonged periods of time.

Mike Morales of the Riviera Village Association on Tuesday asked the City Council to make the planned free-parking dates later to “cut down on abuse.” He also urged the city to conduct a parking study for the village.

The council voted to bag meters from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3.

As for the employee troubles, Councilman Steve Aspel said, “We can’t solve that problem. That’s internal for you guys.”

In a related move, the council also approved free parking at the pier and plaza parking structures from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Dec. 11 through 25.